Early Look At NHL Conn Smythe Odds: Who Offers The Best Pick?
The presumed Hart Trophy finalists are, unsurprisingly, also on top of the Conn Smythe Trophy hockey odds leaderboard at the BetMGM online sportsbook, with Nathan MacKinnon leading the charge.
When mentioning MacKinnon and an award, you can assume Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid will be discussed in the same breath. That pair is trading just behind MacKinnon in the infancy of the 2026 NHL playoffs.
Which NHL Team Has Best Chance Of Winning First-Ever Stanley Cup?
Four NHL teams will enter the playoffs with a chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time. BetMGM's Gary Pearson says one of his early-season dark horses has the best chance of the four of winning it all.
Connor McDavid (+1300)
With the best value on the board, McDavid's +1300 odds imply a 7.14 percent probability.
It's a bet worth making if you think the Oilers can win the Cup, and why wouldn't they with McDavid putting up absurd numbers?
I won't dive into the team's laundry list of deficiencies because we're talking about a player with the third-most playoff points per game (1.55) behind Mario Lemieux (1.61) and Wayne Gretzky (1.84).
He's also one of six players to win the Conn Smythe on a losing team.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (+1400)
Vasilevskiy is the other former winner on this list. The Vezina Trophy favorite will look to backstop the Lightning to glory for the third time in seven seasons.
He is one of the best playoff goaltenders of all time, and his stats back up that claim. With 121 playoff encounters under his belt, Vasilevskiy has a .917 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average.
While he's always a good bet to win playoff MVP, I feel it's Kucherov's year if the Lightning win it all.
Sebastian Aho (+1700)
Of the current playoff participants, only the Oilers and Dallas Stars are more battle-tested than the Hurricanes, who've lost two of the previous three conference finals.
Sebastian Aho led the team with 80 points in the regular season, and he's nearly a point-per-game player in the post-season, notching 86 in 91 playoff contests.
If the Hurricanes clear the final hurdle at long last, there's a good chance Aho will be the primary reason why.
Which Teams Will Meet In The Stanley Cup Final?
The Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers look like they could go far again in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Gary Pearson predicts who will advance to the final for BetMGM.
Jack Eichel (+2000)
Eichel is the Golden Knights' best offensive player, and he has proven he can produce in the playoffs with 43 points in 41 playoff games.
He was on track to win the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy before slowing down slightly in the second round against the Stars, when Jonathan Marchessault propelled to the fore.
The Golden Knights have played well since John Tortorella took the coaching reins, and they have the fifth-shortest Stanley Cup odds.
At +2000, Eichel offers good value. However, I'm still not convinced the Golden Knights are the real deal.
By Gary Pearson, BetMGM
The Hockey News
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 12:41 PM.